(Langley) Vancouver and Vancouver Island activists say violence against homelessness is not an isolated problem in Langley, BC, and it’s time for change.
Posted at 5:27 p.m.
Kelly Morris says she believes she would have been killed in a shooting at an encampment near Qualicum Beach in 2020, which claimed the lives of three other people, had she not received a phone call warning her to stay out of the area.
Mme Morris, a former drug addict who is now a community worker, says she has helped more than 600 vulnerable people connect to services, but there is a desperate need for low-income housing and treatment beds. detox.
A gunman killed two people and injured two others in a series of shootings Monday in Langley. According to the police, the victims were homeless people, although this has not yet been confirmed.
Police have not established a motive for the violence in suburban Vancouver, but say the man they fatally shot, 28-year-old Jordan David Goggin, was the killer.
Spokesperson for the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver, Rachael Allen, says violence against community members experiencing homelessness has escalated and it’s time for more compassion.
“Our community is often the victim of judgment, stigma and even violence,” explains Ms.me Allen, who works in the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver.
Hearing about it just reminds us that everyone deserves dignity and security.
Rachael Allen, Union Gospel Mission Spokesperson
A community outreach event was scheduled for Tuesday for those affected in Langley in response to the shootings. Representatives from victim services, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), crisis counselors and other community support groups were to provide services.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted a message on Twitter on Tuesday saying he was “appalled” by the series of shootings that lasted six hours.
The message says his heart is broken for the loved ones and communities of the victims, and he wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. “This violence has no place in our communities,” he adds.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the “senseless act of violence is extremely disturbing”.
Mr. Farnworth says he understands British Columbians are worried and scared when shootings occur in their neighborhoods.
The Langley killings came a day after two men were shot and killed in the resort town of Whistler. Police said it was gang-related.
On July 15, a man acquitted in two 1985 bombings of Air India planes, Ripudaman Singh Malika, was shot dead outside his workplace in Surrey.
“We don’t yet know the reason for the shootings. However, with the tragic events (on Monday), I want British Columbians to feel reassured that as more information becomes available, we will let the public know,” said Minister Farnworth.